Vicarious Freedom
by turtaniumX
Summary: A therapist's job is never simple. It's not going to get anymore simple when he gets assigned to Naomi Nakashima's case.
1. A New Case

The therapist was seated in his office, waiting. He took a look around for a while. A fairly reasonably sized office, it was outfitted with chairs, a clock, a desk that had his work computer monitor sitting on top, and other things. There was also a variety of filing cabinet, each container holding a plethora of previous cases. Also on the desk had a sign that read: _Rumiko Ishikawa - Therapist._

The lone window in his office had vision of the outside world, although the plain, gray curtains were covering it. The daylight was still as bright as any other fall day. He decided to stand up to pull the curtains open, revealing the weak, but steady sunlight as it glimmered over his hair. The tall buildings of downtown were visible from the window, along with a few roads and cars.

Sitting back down, he checked a calendar. His previous case was just finished this morning, on November 2nd, 2008. There were several other insignificant markings on the calendar.

He looked at his computer monitor. There was a new case folder on the screen, along with a new document open as a minimized window. He looked over at the time in the bottom-right corner—11:47 AM.

He was suddenly met with a knock on the door to his office, probably from the receptionist.

"**Come in.**"

The door opened to reveal the receptionist herself in a simple, yet elegant black and white suit. She made a gesture to another person who was following the receptionist. The other person entered. A woman, with long-ish brown hair and brown eyes. She had a depressed look on her, eyes drooped down. She took her seat on one of the chairs. The receptionist soon closed the door and footsteps could be heard. Those were the footsteps of the receptionist, walking back.

"**Ah, you were the one who called earlier. Nakashima Natsumi, right?**" he started.

"**Yes, that's me."**

There was a solemn look in her eyes, the look that he saw in many other patients before. The look of hopelessness. He was looking to change that. No, he was _expected _to change that.

"**So what's the problem here?"**

He took this moment to adjust the tie of his work outfit.

She sniffled. "**Well, it's about my daughter, Naomi."**

_Her daughter_. What could possibly be wrong with her daughter?

"**Go on,**" he said, typing on the computer.

"**Well... it all changed a few days ago after school and well,**"—she took a moment to wipe her tears—"**I've never seen her so... depressed.**"

"**How old is she?**"

"**16. She's a second year high school student at Kisaragi Academy.**"

He typed the information and then scratched his head.

"**Could you elaborate more on her depression?**"

Natsumi gave out a heavy sigh. "**She hasn't been going going to school ever since the 29th. She never really talks anymore or anything! I've went to a doctor also and he prescribed some medicine.**"

She paused a bit to shudder suddenly. "**And she keeps talking about her imaginary friend...**"

"**And who would that be?**"

She thought about it for a while.

"**She called her Seiko.**"

Rumiko entered the name into the document. He then saved the document and then looked up again.

"**Ok, well, I have therapy sessions today, so...**" He briefly paused to scratch his head. "**Is it possible if you could bring her in tomorrow? I'd like to talk with her myself.**"

Natsumi had a tiny glimmer of hope visible in her eye. "**Certainly.**"

"**Also, give me a call if there are any changes tonight.**"

He handed her his business card, which had his phone number printed on it along with his email.

"**Thank you so much! I'll keep in touch.**"

She gave him a smile.

"**Yeah. Take care, now.**" He smiled back.

Natsumi soon walked out of the room, opening the door and closing it.

This case was going to be a strange one, isn't it? He glanced over at the filing cabinets. There were some cases where the patient had to go to a mental hospital. But that was a worst case scenario. It rarely ever happens, and when it does, so far it's only been on hopeless patients. There was still hope left for this patient.

Rumiko took a look over the document. What could mean her being stationary all day? It would be pretty hard to get her here probably if she persists.

Until then, he didn't know much of the patient. Although the imaginary friend case scenario was uncommon, most cases ended up having the patient in an asylum. He shuddered violently at the thought. There was no way; she was just a high school student. Most of the patients that go to the asylum are usually in their 30's. But, there were rare cases of young ones as well.

He must remain optimistic about the situation. Not much information yet, so he can't just jump to any conclusions. Personal problems are never easy to deal with. Patience is key to dealing with them.

He checked the time—11:58 AM. It's almost time for lunch. He stood up from his chair and went outside of his office. He walked through the lobby and went outside, deciding on his way what to eat for lunch.

He walked towards the nearest sushi bar and bought a take-out. He took it over to a nearby table and began to eat.

His phone started to ring in the middle of his meal. He put down his chopsticks and took it out. Opening the flip phone, the caller ID read Benkei Kazuki.

"**_Hey there, Ben._**"

"**_Hey, Rumiko, old buddy! How've you been?_**"

"**_Great! I was just introduced to a new patient today. Should be working with her tomorrow._**"

"**_I see, I see. Now about your 31th birthday coming up... when was it again?_**"

"**_November 7th._**"

"**_Oh, right. Well I got a perfect plan for it; you just hear me out!_**"

The conversation soon went by a few minutes later and Rumiko soon bid his friend good-bye. He put his phone away in his pocket and picked up his chopsticks to finish up his meal.

Once he was done, he soon discarded the tray into a trash bin and headed back to his office in time for a therapy session with another patient. He noticed a note on his desk. The note appeared to be printed, so there's no possible idea about who printed it.

_they once existed. their soul still exists, in another place_

He didn't find much meaning from the note, considering the term 'they' is pretty vague. Still, he put the note inside one of his desk drawers.

The door soon opened and one of the regular therapy patients walked in. The dark blue-gray hair woman entered, her face a usual sullen expression.

"**Hello there, Kizami."**

Their therapy session was about to begin.

* * *

Quite a bit of time has passed in the day, and night had already fallen. The session was over a few hours ago.

Rumiko, who was still in his office, was typing away records on his computer. The traffic in the office dies down at night as most patients he had preferred sessions during daylight. Nevertheless, the office still remains open until 10 PM.

He was still trying to sort out files from his previous cases and sessions. _Haruna Kizami, aged 25. Certified florist. Came in for coping with family issues. _

The phone suddenly rang, and he was reminded about his deal with Naomi's mother. Without any hesitation, he picked up the phone.

"**_Yes, this is Ishikawa, how can I help you?_**"

"**_You're the therapist I talked to earlier, right?_**"

"**_Oh, yes. I am._**" He looked at the document about Naomi on his screen. "**_What seems to be the problem here?_**"

He heard an audible sigh come in through the speaker.

"**_Well, ever since this morning, she's been acting weird. She barely walks around now._**"

"**_She hasn't left the house ever since?_**"

"**_Yes, that's right. She hasn't stepped one foot outside her room today either._**"

There was a pause before she spoke again. He swore he could feel her shudder again, like she did earlier.

"_**And she's still talking about that... friend of hers. I keep telling her, there's no such person.**" _

Her tone started to change dramatically, almost as if she was pleading.

"**_And when I do, she gives me such a stare! I've never seen her look at me that way before. Never! Please... she was always such a bright and cheery girl..._**"

There was another sense of hesitation. He could sense tension, even between phone lines.

"**_Where... where did my lovely daughter of mine go? What happened to her!?_**"

Rumiko inhaled deeply and then exhaled. He started to speak into the receiver.

"**_Please, try to stay calm. This matter must be handed with the utmost care. Remember, your daughter has it even rougher than you right now. We mustn't think of her as a lost cause or she'll never get the help she needs._**"

He took a moment to check the time—9:40 PM.

_"**Rest assured, I'll do everything in my power to assist you. Let's work together to bring that happy little girl of yours back.**"_

Her tone sounded more confident after his comforting words. "**_Yes, yes, you're right. Thank you. I feel much more better now just hearing you say that._**"

There was a period of silence as if she was contemplating on what to do now.

"**_I think... I'm going to check on her._**"

"**_Alright. Be careful though. Try not to say anything that might upset her._**"

Rumiko heard the receiver click as she hung up. He also hung up as well. Staring at the screen, the words crossed into his mind.

_Seiko._

He had a feeling this wasn't a typical case. There was just that... gut feeling.

Of course, when he meets her tomorrow, it'll all make sense. Hopefully. He had to emphasize with her and see past the outer shell.

Hopefully there was a way to crack that shell. But, there's almost always a catch to it.

He stood up from his chair and packed up to go home. He took his gray jacket over from the coat hanger and put it on. He also shut down his computer, turned out the lights and went outside into the hallway.

The receptionist has gone home, but the lights remained on. There wasn't a single soul in sight. This was the type of work environment he expected from this job. Always was a shy kid during school, he thought, but was also a good listener.

During his school days, he'd notice some of his friends that would come to talk to him about their problems. He'd always listen and then give his viewpoint on the matter. Some of his friends from school (like Benkei) come to visit him to hang out or get help, which is what his job is about.

The job was nice, having his own office and receptionist and all. Hell, he'd consider the receptionist pretty cute. But, he couldn't shake off the fact that he was digging into other people's affairs. It felt sort of, mysterious at times.

Puffing out air at the thought, he turned off the lights and went out into the hallway. He went to the elevators and pressed the call button. His office was only on the second floor, so a ground floor elevator wouldn't take long.

The elevator arrived and he took it downwards to the ground floor. Then, he walked outside into the streets.

What the catch going to be? His mind kept wondering as he strolled through downtown Fujisawa on his way home.

Where was Kisaragi located? He took out his phone and searched. It was in Tenjin, which wasn't too far from here. Her mother must've taken the train here. Probably no decent therapists around there.

He arrived at a five story apartment building, which was where his home was located. He entered and made his way up the stairs

He hoped tomorrow would tell him the truth about the situation. It was his duty to solve it, but he had a feeling it wasn't as simple as it would be. Simple was never in his job description.


	2. Realization

Naomi opened her eyes. She was sprawled on the floor of her room, and from the sound of the birds chirping, she could tell it was morning. She thought about what she did last night to cause herself to be on the floor.

She took a moment to stand up and looked around her room, remembering what had happened.

"_**Why did you even come up here? Why pretend you care when you don't even believe me? You think I'm crazy, don't you?!**_"

Her own words echoed in her head and she remembered what she said and did last night. There was a punch mark on the wall. Taking a look at her right fist, they were heavily bruised and started to ache from punching the wall. Her eyes also lay on the window as well.

"_**Listen, there's no such person as Seiko! You have to pull yourself together! Please!**_"

Her mother's words came next in her mind, and she started to clench her fists once again, ready to punch the wall once more. But, she held back the urge and looked around some more.

The bottle of medicine her doctor had prescribed was on the dresser in her room. Antidepressants… what did she need them for? They won't bring Seiko back alive.

Naomi checked the clock in her room, the needles saying it was 9:23 AM. She went into the washroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. She looked at her face in the mirrors and noticed the bags on her eyes. She winced at the pain of her hand, still bruised and red with inflammation.

She went downstairs and into a kitchen to make a makeshift ice pack with napkins, and then put it on her hands. She walked around holding it in place, noticing an apple pie in a pan covered with wrapping and a note with it:

_You can stay home if you want  
__I've made breakfast for you  
__Love you,  
__- Mom_

She knew that her mother was trying to help. But, she didn't know who Seiko was. She acted as if Seiko never existed, like everyone else at school except for the four others that got out of Heavenly Host. They all called the particular five "crazy" or "delusional" people. In reality, it's a dreaded curse of Heavenly Host. What Sachiko had created.

She yawned as she took the wrap off and put it in the microwave, cooking it for two minutes. She sat on the couch as she waited for it to cook.

She wondered if she should go to school with this injury. The nurse would probably have a better treatment for it though.

Turning to the microwave as it beeped, she carefully took the plate out with a cloth as it was hot. The metal aluminum pan wasn't that hot, but she made sure to be careful. Especially with her hand bruised and bleeding like that.

After eating the pie, she decided on going to school. Sure, she wanted to be a nurse, but she doesn't have that much training, yet. She has no idea on how to treat a bruised hand, so she'd have to go somewhere that had a doctor. And she wanted to be productive as well.

So, she went into her room and carefully changed into on her Kisaragi Senior High uniform. She put on the blue skirt and checked her hair in the bathroom. Once she was finished, she relentlessly picked up her bag and headed out the door.

She looked at the Shinohara household, the former house of Seiko's. They probably don't know, do they?

She pressed on, knowing she shouldn't be wasting time out here. She might come back after school, but she decided to go to school and get it over with first.

When she entered the front door, the school was mostly empty as class was in session at this hour. Silently, she made her way over to the nurse's office.

The school nurse had said it looked like heavy bruising but wasn't sure about the bones, so she'd have to visit the doctor after school with her mother for some x-ray. She started to give her mother a phone call, but also gave Naomi some ibuprofen for the pain.

After that was done, she went back to her classroom, 2-9. As she went down the hall, she started thinking about her teacher. Of course, the normal teacher, Hajime Yamazaki, was usually away on trips. The teacher's assistant wasn't Yui Shishido, it was Bunjiro Matsudo. Because, Yui no longer _existed_, even though Naomi clearly saw her in the flesh. Even though she and the others remembered her, no one else did. And no one else will, so it seems.

Maybe the phone pictures can get people into their senses, but they're simply blacked out pictures of people wearing the Kisaragi Academy uniform. Their hairstyles are preserved, but they still wouldn't recognize them. They'll probably think they're old students and ask to meet the 'old ones' themselves; when they say it's impossible for them to meet, they'll completely disregard them and move on.

The doctor that her mother took her to thought she was a lost cause. She could see it in his eyes, just like she had seen in Heavenly Host on the eyes of the dead ones. She could see it when he prescribed her that antidepressant. She felt like she had that same look when she saw Seiko, suspended on the air in a noose, lifeless.

When she entered the classroom, there was the look from her fellow classmates and the teacher. The chalkboard had November 2nd scribbled on it.

"**Nakashima-san, you're late,**" said Matsudo, writing in the attendance list.

Naomi nodded and went to her desk, looking at Satoshi's gaze on the way. His face looked a little worrying about her, and his expression changed even more when he noticed Naomi's hands. She held back the tears in her eyes.

She sat down and looked at the teacher, a bored looking man. His black hair and brown eyes along with his sullen expression made it different than the Yui-sensei that everyone used to know. Then, she looked over at her classmates and found out the textbook they were using and pulled it out of her desk, trying to catch up.

She was struggling a little with writing as he knuckles were basically bruised, but the ibuprofen helped a little. Still, she didn't want to put too much work on it, so she switched from using her right hand to write to her left hand. It felt awkward and stiff, and drastically slower than using the dominant hand. At least her right hand can rest.

Time passed by and by the time third period was over, it was lunch time. Naomi got up and took her bento and headed for the cafeteria.

As she exited the classroom, Satoshi was not too far from her. He soon caught up and was walking beside her, still looking at her.

"**Naomi,** **what happened to your hand?**"

Naomi held it up and smiled nervously.

"**Oh, this? Well… an accident, I guess…**"

Satoshi could see straight through her lie and his eyebrows furrowed. Naomi looked down as she walked, avoiding his gaze. Then, he went in front of her and forced him to stop. He squatted down so that she had to look at him. They were near the stairwell leading to the first floor.

"**Look, what **_**really**_** happened?**" he asked calmly. "**Did you get into a… fight? Or what?**"

Naomi was quivering a little before she went on her knees and started to bawl out, Satoshi coming to comfort her, holding her in an embrace. She couldn't hold it in together anymore.

"**I got into a fight with my mom and—**" She paused, but it seemed like she was going to regret what she was going to say. "—**she said that Seiko didn't exist!**"

Satoshi hugged Naomi tighter.

"**Don't worry, she'll see eventually. She's your mother, right? She will believe you.**"

"**What would my dad would say… if he was alive?**"

Satoshi remained quiet and Naomi kept making Satoshi's uniform wet from her tears. He started to urge her to stand up and she followed his instruction. They both walked together, his arm around Naomi's shoulder.

"**What would Seiko say if she saw this?**"

Satoshi sighed, walking down the staircase.

"**I'm pretty sure she'd find us… sweet together.**"

They ended up spending lunch on the roof where Yoshiki usually was. Yoshiki didn't mind them being up there with him, he just ate his lunch in silence as Satoshi comforted Naomi some more. Ayumi soon came up, sitting with Yoshiki and watching the two. Yuka was probably with her friends, but Satoshi was worried if she was still traumatized about what happened three days ago at Heavenly Host.

When lunch was over, the last two periods went by and soon she started to head home. As she approached her home, she looked at Seiko's house again.

"**Seiko…**"

She looked at the two story house. It was right next to Naomi's house. She remembered how they walked to school together, everyday.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her mother's shouting from her house.

"**Hey, Naomi!**"

Naomi went back to her home in silence, not talking to Natsumi like she usually did. Her mother shortly took her to the doctor's again for some x-ray.

The x-ray was conducted and her right hand bones were simply out of place. Her doctor popped them back in, which Naomi had some trouble with. She gave Naomi a hand splint to help it heal, and she put it on. She was told she could take it off to clean the hand or for when she had to shower.

After the visit to the doctor's office, her mother took her back home. Naomi went back to her room and lied down on her bed, still thinking about what really happened back at Heavenly Host. She couldn't accept the fact that they were all gone… wiped away from existence. She wondered if the other people who died there were also wiped away.

The more she thought about it, the more scared she became. When her mother came to pick her up to go to the therapist, she refused to leave her room, just like the past few days. Natsumi sighed and went out of her room, giving Naomi some alone time. She heard her go down the stairs and pick up the phone.

At this point, Naomi was fed up and was simply tired. She tossed her face into the bed and tried to get some more sleep.

* * *

She awoke to the sound of the door opening and closing, a muffled unrecognized voice coming through the walls. She sat up and wondered who this person would be. Probably some who thought she was crazy.

The sound of double footsteps ascended the stairs and Naomi looked at the door, expecting her mother and someone else to be there. The climbing steps stopped they were shortly replaced by the sound of a doorknob turning.

Along with her mother, there was another person with her. A man that looked like he was in his mid-thirties, black haired and eyes as black as the night, skin as white as snow. He looked still pretty young for his age. He was wearing a suit with a red tie along with black dress pants and black socks. There was a messenger bag slung over his right shoulder.

"**OK, Naomi, this is Rumiko Ishikawa,**" her mother introduced.

Rumiko bowed and Naomi did the same, although a little more cautiously.

"**He'll be your therapist for… until you get better.**"

He raised his head and looked at Natsumi.

"**I'll take it from here,**" he said, a soothing and deep tone.

Natsumi nodded and went out of Naomi's sight, the sound of descending footsteps following after.

Rumiko closed the door and looked around the room. The walls were a little white with the lighting giving it a yellowish hue. There was a bed with pink covers, along with a bulletin board pinned with pictures on the adjacent wall. The window had orange curtains with a view of a few buildings and trees in the orange, evening sky. It also had signs of repair, not too long ago. There was also a lone portrait of the sky to the left of the window. Some stuffed animals lay around the room. There was a lamp on the ceiling along with a stain above the area where the bed was.

In the left corner of her room was a desk, and on top it was a green potted plant, along with another hanging picture on the left wall. There was also a uniform hanging in the room near the door. He noticed the mark on the wall, and it seemed like a punch mark. Looking at her right hand splint, he assumed it was from her. He resisted the urge to frown.

He went over to her desk and sat down.

"**So, Nakashima-san,**" he said as he pulled out a piece of paper from his bag. "**As you heard from your mother, my name is Rumiko Ishikawa, and I'll be your assigned therapist.**" He cleared his throat. "**Since you… refused to leave the house, I had to come over here by train for your first session.**"

By train? Why did he have to come here by train? Where was this guy from, she wondered.

"**What do you mean, by train?**"

Rumiko's expression changed, looking a little surprised.

"**Oh, yeah, I'm not from Tenjin. I'm from close by, though.**"

Naomi relaxing, knowing he's not from some place far away where she might be taken to for isolation. She didn't know where the nearest asylum or correction facilities are, and she didn't want to know.

"**Anyways… your mother has done all the financial stuff, so that's out of the way.**" He moved his eyes to his piece of paper, looking at a standard checklist. "**I have a PhD in Psychology, and I've studied at the University of Tokyo for around ten years.**"

He paused so that if Naomi had any questions, she could say them now. But, she didn't so he continued.

"**Your mother found me through an ad in a newspaper, and I am a private therapist. I don't belong to any association.**" He flipped the paper and continued talking, looking occasionally at the paper as if it were his cue card. "**Each session will last around an hour or two, and well, everything here will be confidential and not shared with anyone.**"

He put the paper away in his bag and pulled out a small laptop. Powering it on and logging in, he navigated to Naomi's profile and started getting ready to type down notes.

"**Are we ready to get started?**"

Naomi nodded.

"**So, what is the problem in your life?**"

"**Well—**"

She stopped short of explaining, because explaining the situation of Heavenly Host would not be a valid answer, would it? For others, it wouldn't be believable. Her face visibly showed signs of struggle on whether or not to tell her, and Rumiko noticed this.

"**Don't worry, this is private. I won't tell anyone.**"

"**Unless, the government wants you to, right?**" she lashed, paranoid.

Rumiko sighed, knowing the conditions of confidentiality.

"_**When**_** they want. But, they'll usually only do that if there was a crime involved, and that most likely won't happen.**"

He felt a little skeptical saying that, considering her fist's condition. What if she punched something else? Or someone else…

"**Ok, then…**"

He scrolled through the profile, reading on her history. But, seeing that he doesn't have much on her history, he decided to ask about it.

"**So, what was your life like, so far?**"

Naomi closed her eyes as she tried staying calm.

"**I grew up in this town. I didn't remember much but I know that my father died when I was in elementary…**"

Her face registered into an expression that showed that she was having a painful time remembering it. Rumiko started typing it down, indicating that past therapy sessions might've happened.

"**And then I was in junior high at Kisaragi… and that's when I met Satoshi… Mochida.**"

"**Who is Satoshi Mochida?**" he asked as he typed.

"**Well, he's my friend… a best friend…**"

Rumiko continued to type as Naomi paused for a while, still hesitant of saying what she wanted to say next.

"**Ok… go on.**"

Naomi's eyes started to tear a little, which Rumiko noticed.

"**And, it was also where I **_**met**_** Seiko.**"

Rumiko paused typing for a brief second before resuming. Seiko… but her mother said this person never existed. This was the imaginary friend that Natsumi was talking about.

"**I see… go on.**"

"**Well… after junior high was high school and then that's where I met Shinozaki… and the others.**" She started to cover her eyes a little to wipe some of the tears that were forming."**We were all together in our second year until…**"

"**Until…?**"

"**Until we did a charm… Sachiko Ever After… and then we were sent…**"

Sachiko Ever After. That name didn't sound really familiar, but for some reason, it did.

"**...to Heavenly Host Elementary School.**"

Rumiko continued to type, although a little confused. Sent to another school? How does that work?

"**Wait… what do you mean you were sent to 'Heavenly Host'?"**

"**We did the charm that Shinozaki proposed… the instructions were wrong and it took us to the school of… hell.**"

Rumiko took care in his next few words.

"**And, what happened there?**"

"**Seiko… Suzumoto… Morishige… and Yui-sensei… are all gone. Only us five survived.**"

Although he was only 30, he'd seen some bad and weird cases over the years but nothing like this. Nothing like where someone was taken to another school by some weird charm thing. As he finished typing, he looked at Naomi. If what she said was true, this case might be bigger than he thought. The others might be in need of therapy as well… there might be a chance of group therapy happening. Usually when he does those, he had another therapist with him as well.

Deciding he should stick to this case for now, he asked a question about what her situation revolved around.

"**Ok, so… what was Seiko like?**"

"**She was cheerful and… cared about everyone… perverted…**"

She laughed a little after saying 'perverted', but her eyes clearly still showed hurt. They were also glossy as well, since she was on the verge of crying out.

"**What did she look like?**"

She looked around her room and found her phone. She took her phone and flipped it open, browsing the pictures section. She gave the phone to Rumiko after finding the correct picture.

The picture had a... girl with two fingers up, wearing a school uniform. Judging by the color and look like the one in Naomi's room, it was the uniform of Kisaragi's Senior High. Her brown hair was styled in two curls below her ears, a white hair-clip visible on the left side of her head. The only thing abnormal about this picture was the face… it was blackened out deliberately like someone had edited it to wipe the face away.

"**What happened… to her face?**"

"**...It's because, she's dead…**"

She started to cry slowly, and all Rumiko could do was watch. He noticed some tissues on Naomi's desk and passed one to her, which she took and wiped her tears.

So, this person is dead. But, why is her face wiped out then? What did she really look like? Naomi also said that four other people were dead… so five people died in that school. Were the other people who died, 'wiped' as well? This case was stranger than he thought.

The therapy session continued, and he got the full names of all the people that died in the incident. The incident happened on the 28th of October, after school at around 7:00 PM. The 'Sachiko Ever After' charm had sent them to Heavenly Host as a form of forced transportation: the ground breaking in a hole and causing them to land. Naomi mentioned that during the descent into Heavenly Host, she broke her ankle on the way there. When she showed her ankle to Rumiko, there was in fact a splint on it.

The group of 9 travelled through Heavenly Host, to find bodies and death in a desolate environment. They eventually worked together to appease the ghosts that haunted the place and appeased the final ghost, Sachiko. They also learnt about a girl named Naho Saenoki, the person responsible for putting the charm up in the first place.

* * *

After the session was over, he finished typing and saved the file. Closing and shutting down the laptop, he stood up from her desk and started to leave the room.

"**So… I'll see you on Wednesday.**"

"**Ok…** **wait!**"

Rumiko stopped and turned around at the door to her room.

"**Thanks… I guess.** **For listening.**"

"**Oh… no problem.**"

He closed the door and went down the stairs. Nodding to her mother, he headed out the door and out the gate. He started to walk down the street.

So, if these four people died, why hasn't the news said anything about them? Maybe they haven't told anyone about them? It didn't say they were missing either… there just wasn't any trace of the four on the news. It seemed rather unusual, as clearly those families would have reported to the authorities by now. But… if Seiko's face was wiped, along with her mother and classmates calling them imaginary friends...

He decided to try to get some info on those students by visiting the school. It was around 6:44, but the school was probably still open. Schools were usually open around this time for clubs. He looked at the walkway across the street into the park, along with the tall buildings and the convenience store nearby.

Noticing a girl with blue eyes and blue hair styled in two pigtails, she was also wearing the same uniform as the one in her room and the one that Seiko wore. He approached her cautiously, since he didn't want her to get the wrong idea. She noticed him walking towards her and she stopped, a little scared.

"**Hey… uh, do you know where Kisaragi is?**"

She blinked before smiling a little.

"**Oh! It's just up the street,**" she said.

"**Thanks,**" he replied, bowing a little.

She returned the gesture and kept on walking. If she was from that school, it was probably still open considering she was probably leaving. Or maybe she was returning home because the school was closing. Well, despite that thought, he kept walking towards the school in hopes of getting some information.

As he approached the school, he could clearly see the lights were still on. The school was a huge building, about five stories high. There were windows lining up all around the school, with a huge corner room with bigger glass windows. Maybe even bigger than Byakudan, he thought.

When he entered, he took out his indoor shoes and changed them with his outdoor shoes. He walked around until he found an area that looked like the office. He entered and talked with the secretary.

"**Hello,**" he said, bowing.

The secretary bowed back in his chair. "**Hello. What's your business here?**"

"**I would like to see the school files of Seiko Shinohara.**"

"**And you are…?**"

He pulled out a business card and gave it to the secretary.

"**One of my patients is a student here at this school, and I'm here to review some info related to her case.**"

"**Who is this patient?**"

Rumiko sighed and blinked. "**Classified.**"

The secretary looked at Rumiko's dark eyes for a while before smiling and typing into the computer. After a while, the secretary looked frustrated.

"**Sorry, who was it again?**"

"**Seiko Shinohara.**"

He took out the note with the correct kanji symbols and gave it to the secretary. Typing it in, he still looked frustrated at the computer screen.

"**I'm sorry, sir, but it doesn't look like this person exists on our school files.**"

She didn't exist? What? This took Rumiko by surprise, since Naomi acted like she really did exist. She talked a lot about the fun times she had with her… so it definitely couldn't have been anybody… unless she's mistaking someone else for someone. Maybe it was related to her father's death eight years ago.

"**What? Can I see the list of all the people in the class of 2-9?**"

"**Certainly.**"

The secretary typed some more into the computer and went over to the printer. He returned carrying sheets of paper, listing all the students in 2-9 and their student IDs and contact info. Strangely enough, the four that died in the school are not on the list. Although he did recognize Satoshi Mochida, and Shinozaki… those were the people that Naomi mentioned. The teacher's name was Hajime Yamazaki, the T.A. being Bunjiro Matsudo. None of them were Yui Shishido, who probably didn't 'exist' as well.

"**Thank you. You've been a big help.**"

He exited the office and left the school, changing back into his outdoor shoes. This was a strange case. Although he had to talk to others to confirm for sure that this wasn't just one person going crazy, since the coincidence of four people talking about their 'imaginary friends' didn't make it seem imaginary to him. As a therapist, he had to emphasize with the person… see past the outside shell.

As he boarded the train for downtown Fujishima, he took out his laptop and typed into to the case files. It was a strange case alright. He stared at the picture of 'Seiko', with the blacked out face. This didn't feel like a normal case, and it definitely wasn't going to get any more normal. He decided tomorrow to try to get a hold of the one that Naomi said that suggested the charm, Ayumi Shinozaki. He tucked the paper into his bag.

Why did this feel more like a detective case than a therapy case? Why did he feel like a crazy person for believing something like this? Still, this was his job. It wasn't his job to not believe; he had to see past what everyone else sees and accepts what they say to be able to find a solution.


	3. Another Client to the Call

Rumiko sat in his office, staring at the 2-9 class list. He had sat there for a while, waiting. Waiting… for what? He had been in work since morning, and the sessions were done already.

He put the note down and looked at the spreadsheet for his schedule on the computer. He wasn't seeing any patients today. Naomi Nakashima's next session was tomorrow and Haruna Kizami's was on Thursday. There were more patients, but they were either on Friday or somewhere next week.

Maybe the rest of the people who went to "Heavenly Host" would be potential patients as well, since Naomi's description of the place would suggest they would need some professional help after what they've seen.

He stood up and looked at the time. It was 3:47 PM. There wasn't anything else to do, and his work time was over, anyway. He decided to go home, but decided to check something first.

Walking over to his desk, he searched the drawers until he found that note from the other day.

_they once existed. their soul still exists, in another place_

Was this related to his current case? That fact that the people she talked about didn't "exist" in this world because they died in that other "place". This was rather confusing, but he took the note anyway. He needed all the help he could get to solve this strange case.

He was a therapist, not a detective. But then again, detectives might not believe this crazy story. Sure, it might just be a delusional, insane story coming from a person with mental issues, but he hasn't talked to the others yet about it. And, this might be the cause of Naomi's problem. This is necessary to understand her own situation.

So, that's what he decided to do next: talk to the other people who went to Heavenly Host. He took his bag and left his room. Walking down the hallway, he looked at the name plate on the receptionist's desk: Emi Nagata.

"**Hey, Nagata,** **I'm going to head out now.** **You should too.**"

She nodded. "**Okay, then.**"

Rumiko headed out the door as she started to pack up. Of course, it wasn't as busy since he wasn't exactly a popular therapist. There were other therapists in the city that had more flashy ads and whatnot. His office was located near the train station though, so out of town people would find his location much more convenient. Although Naomi's mother, Natsumi, found him through a newspaper ad.

He walked down the street towards the train station, and noticed that students from a nearby school were walking on the street. Must be from St. Catherine Academy High School, which was near his office. That's how one of his patients, Haruna Kizami, found him. She had been one of his clients for a while now, around seven months.

He kept walking and reached the station. Then, he bought a ticket and boarded a train heading for the nearby town of Tenjin.

* * *

Sitting down on the blue colored cushioned seat, Rumiko looked around the train. The amount of people was pretty average, since it wasn't really the time when people would be getting off from work. He liked being a therapist, since he didn't really have to take any work home or work as much. But, it did get boring at times.

The train rocked around as it chugged on the tracks, the scenery outside going by quick. He took out his laptop from his bag and turned it on. He looked at the class list he had copied onto the computer.

He had a hunch that Ayumi Shinozaki would be the best one to talk to first. Since she was the one who suggested the charm, there might be some information from her about the origins of the charm. That charm would be the key to solving this, probably. It was the best lead he had so far, anyway.

The train started to slow down as it approached the station. He turned off his laptop and put it back into his bag. He stood up as the train proceeded to a full stop and the doors slid open. He then walked onto the train platform and out the exit.

He looked around. The buildings around town were still looking busy. Checking the time on the station clock, it was around 4:00. School would be out by now, would it?

He hailed a taxi and entered, telling the drive the address of the Shinozaki residence. The driver then started to drive through the streets until it reached the desired destination. He paid the taxi driver the fee and exited the taxi cab.

Looking at the gate, he saw the doorbell on the fence posts that surrounded the two story house. This was weird, wasn't it? Visiting a house that belonged to a 17 year-old high schooler. Still, he pressed the doorbell buzzer.

The person who answered the door was a woman, who he presumed to be Ayumi's mother. She had short blue hair, which was probably dyed. She was also wearing a yellow coat with a tired look on her face.

"**Yes? How can I help you?**" she asked.

Rumiko bowed.

"**Hello. My name is Rumiko Ishikawa. I'm a psychologist investigating a case that involved your daughter. Is… Ayumi Shinozaki home?**"

The woman's eyes appeared to move around a little and her eyebrows raised. But, then she went back to the same, tired look.

"**No, but she's probably returning from school now.**"

"**Okay, thank you.**"

Rumiko sighed and wondered how long it would take for her to come back home. Then, he pondered on the thought of "investigating". Was this really what a psychologist did?

"**Oh, look! There she is now.**"

Rumiko looked at the woman, who was pointing at something. He followed her point to the sidewalk, and there were two people walking together. The one on the left was a tall boy with blonde hair, grey eyed and dressed in a black gakuran with a pack slung over his left shoulder; the other was the same girl he saw yesterday, with long blue pigtailed hair, blue eyes and dressed in the same sailor outfit. She was carrying a bag as well on her right side.

"**Oi, Shinozaki,**" the blonde said, "**do you know this person?**"

Ayumi looked at Rumiko for a while, her eyes squinting a little.

"**No… but I saw him yesterday. He asked about where the school was.**"

She looked a little scared of the random man that appeared in front of her house. The boy next to her noticed her expression at this point and turned to face Rumiko, his body language appearing hostile.

"**Relax,**" said Rumiko. "**I'm just here to talk.**"

"**It's okay, Ayumi. He's a psychologist,**" reassured Ayumi's mother.

Ayumi relaxed her guard a little a bit.

"**Okay then… Kishinuma-kun…?**"

Rumiko heard Ayumi call him that. He must be one of the others that came back from Heavenly Host. Yoshiki Kishinuma… he relaxed his guard down as well.

"**So, why don't you two head inside?**" insisted her mother.

Ayumi nodded and walked to the gate to open it, and Rumiko followed.

"**Guess I'll see you later, Shinozaki?**" called out Yoshiki.

"**Mmh.** **Bye, now.**"

Yoshiki walked down the street with one hand in his pocket and the other hand by his side holding on to his bag. Rumiko watched him until he was out of sight from the doorway. Then, he walked inside the house. He didn't seem too… traumatized, he thought. But, he never knew.

* * *

The two were sitting in the living room, with Ayumi on the couch and Rumiko on a chair that her mother had brought from the kitchen. She was still dressed in her school uniform. He had his laptop out and was browsing through the files.

"**So… what's this about?**" questioned Ayumi.

Rumiko looked up from the screen.

"**It's about last week.**"

"**Last week?**" She looked a little confused, but her eyes focused back again. "**You mean—**"

"**Heavenly Host Elementary School?**"

Her eyes were wide open. She looked a little hysterical at this point.

"**You actually know?!**"

He scratched his head. "**Your friend, Nakashima, told me about it.** **I shouldn't be divulging this information… but she clearly insisted you were the ones involved.**"

"**So you're Nakashima-san's therapist? I see…**"

She closed her eyes and lied down on the couch. Rumiko around the room. The beige colored walls with the wooden floor surrounded them. In the rightmost corner of the room was a potted plant. In the opposite corner was a tall mirror. Between the mirror and the potted plant was a flatscreen TV. On the wall next to the mirror was a sliding glass door with orange curtains. Between the couch and the TV was a small coffee table.

"**What was this… charm that you performed?**"

Ayumi didn't open her eyes, but she started talking.

"**Well… it was called the Sachiko Ever After charm. I found it on the internet.**" She hesitated for a while. "**I thought that doing it would make us be together forever…**"

"**Could you write down the site for me?**"

Ayumi nodded and Rumiko handed her a pen and paper. She started to write the website down and then gave it back to him. I don't have internet here, he thought. Maybe she had WiFi…?

"**Hey, Shinozaki, do you have WiFi here?**"

"**WiFi? Like… the internet thing?**"

Rumiko nodded.

"**Oh, sorry, I don't really know that stuff. My dad probably knows since he set mine up.**"

"**You have a laptop of your own? Can I see that website now?**"

Ayumi nodded slowly, although a little cautious. She motioned for him to follow him. Once they entered her room, she sat down on a chair and opened the laptop on her table, covered with a white tablecloth. After it powered up, she opened an internet browser and went to the website.

Naho's Nods to the Netherworld, eh? He started to read the contents of the Sachiko Ever After charm. Ayumi started to point to where it said: _This is of the utmost importance. Correcting a flubbed line counts as invoking the chant one extra time, and could have dire consequences!_

"**This was… wrong! All wrong!**" she yelled.

"**Wha… what?**"

"**We were supposed to chant one more time for Sachiko herself… but this was a fake!**"

Rumiko looked at the site. These instructions for the charm was fake, then. This is how they went to that school in the first place.

"**I just can't accept that they died…**"

He looked at Ayumi, who had a hysterical look on her face. She looked frightened and discouraged; a look he had seen on many other patients before. Her eyes were red, and tears were flowing down from her eyes.

"**Okay, I think I seen enough.**"

He typed some notes into his laptop and then powered it off, putting it back into his bag. Ayumi kept staring at her laptop before Rumiko closed it, and then she put her arms on the table and buried her head on the table.

"**It's no use just lying back, you know.**"

"**Huh? What do you mean?**"

Rumiko sighed and sat on the chair next to her.

"**Look, I know that the event that you guys went through, was pretty tragic—**"

"**NO! You don't know anything about losing friends!**"

Rumiko stared at her for a while.

"**What do you think my occupation is, huh?**"

Ayumi looked up and looked at him.

"**You're a therapist, right…?**"

Rumiko nodded. "**And, guess what I see every day?**"

Ayumi thought about it before realizing what this man did see every day. Many people telling him stories of their misery and suffering, just like how the others that were sent to Heavenly Host. Rumiko stood up and took his bag.

"**Is it possible if I could see the others as well?**"

"**Oh, ok. I'll try to get them to come.**"

She took out her phone and began calling someone. Rumiko sighed and stood up, looking around the room. Her bed was next to the table that Ayumi had her laptop on. There were two windows with blue curtains, and a desk in the corner. Some unfinished drawings laid strewn about on the desk. There was also a cupboard between the two windows. Also, there was a makeup table with a mirror in the room.

"_**Hello, Mochida-kun?**__"_

Rumiko sighed and looked at the paper that the school secretary had gave him. Satoshi Mochida was along the names that he had highlighted.

"_**Oh, uh, can you come over to my house? There's a therapist that might be able to help us.**_"

He put away the paper and took out his laptop charger. He walked around the room to find an outlet and plugged the end of the cable in.

"_**Okay, thanks! Also, could you bring Nakashima and your little sister sister along as well?**_"

Little sister? It must be Yuka Mochida, the one Naomi mentioned yesterday. Wonder how she got involved with a high school group. Satoshi probably brought her along for the clean-up after the culture festival. Rumiko started to put the other end of the charger into his laptop. A beep could be heard.

"_**Right, thanks a lot. See you!**_"

Ayumi hung up and browsed through her phone again. Then, she put the phone up to her ear again. Rumiko opened his laptop and started to add to his notes about the case. This case was bigger than one single patient, he thought. It was a whole group.

"**You know, Shinozaki,**" he said as he typed.

"**Huh?**"

"**You need to take action, instead of lying around and grieving their loss.**"

Ayumi scratched her head.

"**Okay… but how?**"

"**I don't know… oh. How about research?**"

"**Research?**"

Rumiko stopped his typing.

"**Yeah, try to find out more about this 'Heavenly Host Elementary'.**"

Ayumi smiled a little, wiping her tears off her face.

"**Oh… that's a good idea, actually.**"

Rumiko smiled a little as well. He didn't know why he was doing this. He wasn't getting paid for it, anyway. He hasn't dealt with many minors, though. But, it might be a good business opportunity if he could get the group of people as regulars.

Then again, could it be unethical?

"_**Hey, Kishinuma-kun?**_"

The doorbell rang, and Ayumi stood up to go get it, still talking on the phone. She left the room and Rumiko was still staring at his laptop. What is right, and what is wrong? He clutched his head. This was a stressful job to deal with.

Sure, his other patients were also paying, but does this mean that he should give these guys exceptions? He has things in life that he wants to afford, but he needs to pay the rent, pay the bills, and do all the other essential things. It's hard living alone, managing a budget.

The door to her room opened again and in stepped in Ayumi, along with a boy with short brown hair. He was dressed in a white school uniform with a blue shirt underneath, grey pants. Behind him was a smaller girl, wearing a blue dress that had a collar around her neck with a pink bow. This must be a junior high school student, thought Rumiko.

His regular patient, Naomi, stepped in as well. She smiled a little at the sight of her therapist, and he smiled back. Then, he turned his attention towards the two new people.

"**Satoshi Mochida, and Yuka Mochida, right?**"

The boy nodded.

"**Yes, we're pleased to meet you.**"

Satoshi bowed and Rumiko bowed back. When Satoshi was bowing, Rumiko noticed Yuka was clutching his brother's back.

"**C'mon, Yuka, don't be scared.**" Satoshi smiled at his little sister. "**He's here to help us.**"

Ayumi put her phone on her table and went to Yuka.

"**Look, he might look a little scary, but I assure you, he's a good man.**"

Yuka nodded and peeked her head and Rumiko. He gave a small wave, and she returned with a smaller one.

"**Why don't we… go to the living room?**" said Ayumi.

They all nodded and Rumiko unplugged the charger. Then, they moved to the living room. Rumiko sat down on the same chair while the four sat on the couch. He stood up to find a socket for the charger.

"**Kishinuma-kun should be coming soon.**"

Rumiko nodded and plugged in the charger to a socket. Then, he went back to the chair and sat down, laptop open.

"**Is… your little sister naturally this scared?**"

Satoshi scratched his head, smiling a little.

"**Well… she wasn't really like this… ever since she met the Kizami person…**"

_Kizami?_

"**Wait,wait... Kizami?**" said Rumiko, a little perplexed.

"**Oh… she told me about a boy she met in Heavenly Host from Byakudan. His name was Kizami Yuuya.**"

"**And what was he like?**"

Satoshi looked at Yuka, who had a frightened look on her face.

"**Well… it's…**"

"**He thought the onii-chan I was looking for was him!**" she yelled.

This Kizami person… could it be someone related to another one of his patients? He browsed through his laptop and found the file of Haruna Kizami. The file said that she only had one older brother, so…

This was a case that was bigger than he thought. Everything added up; they can't be mere coincidences. Her old school, St. Catherine Academy High School, was near his office, so it would be understandable that she would come to his place if she lived nearby. If she had a brother who went to Byakudan, that wasn't too far as well.

Maybe she forgot about her young brother as well. As if he never existed in her life.

The doorbell rang again, and then Ayumi stood up to go answer it. Rumiko was still thinking about all of this.

"**Okay, Kishinuma-kun's here!**"

Rumiko looked as Ayumi lead him towards the living room. There wasn't enough room on the couch, so she took a chair from the kitchen and put it next to the couch, and he sat down on it.

"**So, tell me how you guys feel, after that incident.**"


End file.
